Coronavirus: Mike Pompeo urges China for ‘full transparency’ in call with top diplomat Yang Jiechi
- Discussion comes after Trump announced his decision to pull US funding from the World Health Organisation
- Pompeo has been one of the more vocal critics of the WHO and of China
Tensions continued to rise between Washington and Beijing with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressing China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Wednesday for full transparency in China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
The move comes just a day after President Donald Trump announced his decision to pull US funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the UN body of being biased in favour of China.
Pompeo has been one of the more vocal critics of the WHO and of China, accusing Beijing of trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak in its earliest days and continuing to share inaccurate data about the disease with the world.
“The Secretary stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks,” US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement about the call between Pompeo and Yang.
“[Pompeo] also noted the aid the American people delivered to the people of China in January – and continue to offer – and the high importance we attach to China’s facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States.”
Even as the two countries’ relationship becomes strained, the United States remains dependent on imports of medical supplies from China.
